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About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in jo... (More)

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in journalism. Though my first love is journalism, food is a close second. I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, building an ever-expanding "to eat" list. As a journalist, I'm always trolling news sources and social media websites with an eye for local food news, from restaurant openings and closings to emerging food trends. When I was a teenager growing up in Menlo Park, I always drove up to the city on weekends with the singular purpose of finding a better meal than I could at home. But in the past year or so, the Peninsula's food culture has been totally transformed, with many new restaurants opening and a continuous stream of San Francisco restaurants coming south to open Peninsula outposts. Don't navigate this food boom hungry and alone! Feed me your tips on new chefs and eats and together we'll share them with the broader community. (Hide)

January food and drink goings on

Uploaded: Dec 31, 2013

Make a resolution to eat more gnocchi and sausage; learn about wine, beer and mushrooms or take a cooking class in 2014. A roundup of local food and drink events in the new year:

Festa Regionale at Il Fornaio: Trentino Alto-Adige
From Jan. 6-19, Il Fornaio in Palo Alto will serve food and wine inspired by Trentino Alto-Adige, a region in Northern Italy, as part of the restaurant's "Festa Regionale" ongoing series. View the full menu here.
Info: Il Fornaio, 520 Cowper St., Palo Alto; 650-853-3888. Cost: Varies per dish, or can go prix fixed for $29.99. A wine flight with the customer's choice of any three half glasses is $14.99.

Shoreline Lake wine seminars
Shoreline Lake in Mountain View is hosting two wine seminars in January. The first, "Basic Wine Preservation," is on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and the second, "Basics of Serving Wine," on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Both start around 6 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. (Read a feature on the wine series here, written by yours truly.) Register online at www.shorelinelake.com.
Info: Shoreline Aquatic Center, 3160 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View. Cost: $25. For more information, call 650-965-3779.

Fête Alsacienne at Left Bank
From Jan. 13-17, Left Bank in Menlo Park will celebrate the food and wine of Alsace, a region in France whose cuisine is shaped by both French and German influences, with various a la carte menu specials: flammekueche, a tart flambée with sautéed bacon and onion and crème fraîche; la choucroute garnie with sauerkraut, knackwurst sausage, smoked pork loin and pork belly; and tarte aux quetsches, an Alsatian tart with plums and egg custard. Left Bank will also offer a choice of three Alsace appellation wines. View the full menu here.
Info: Left Bank Brasserie, 635 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; 650-473-6543 www.leftbank.com

Rosetta Costantino-inspired dinner at Donato Enoteca
On Thursday, Jan. 16, Donato Enoteca in Redwood City will serve special dinner items using recipes by Bay Area chef Rosetta Costantino. Costantino was originally born in Calabria, Italy, and is the author of two Italian cookbooks, both of which will be available for purchase at the restaurant. Main course dishes will include pesce spada alla ghiotta, swordfish "glutton's style" with tomato, capers and olives, and cauliflower salad; vrasciole alla verbicarese, stuffed pork rolls in tomato sauce Verbicaro style, and potatoes layered with artichokes; and tiella d'agnello, baked lamb shoulder chops with artichokes, peas and breadcrumbs.
Info: Donato Enoteca, 1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; 650-701-1000

Brew University: Seasonal Beers From Around the World
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 7-8:30 p.m. head to the Palo Alto Downtown Library to learn about seasonal beers from around the world from Gordon Biersch's Brewmaster, John Tucci. Registration is required; sign up here.
Info: Downtown Library, El Camino Room, 270 Forest Ave. Cost: free. For more information, contact Cheryl Lee at 650-838-2831 or at cheryl.lee@cityofpaloalto.org.

Mushroom Hike at Hidden Villa
Go on a mushroom tour at Hidden Villa with a naturalist guide from the Mycological Society of San Francisco, who will discuss both edible and poisonous varieties on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. No collecting; cameras are encouraged. For ages 10 and up. Register here.
Info: Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills; 650-949-8650. Cost: $12 per person.

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